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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 12651

5 February 2021
Contents Publication in full By article 5 / 39
EU RESPONSE TO COVID-19 / State aid
Green light for €300 million of Austrian support for package travel organisers

04/02/2021 (Agence Europe) – The European Commission authorised on Thursday 4 February, under EU State aid rules, an Austrian aid package of €300 million for package travel organisers and facilitators of linked travel services in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. This system of State guarantees aims to ensure that sufficient resources are available to reimburse consumers for cancelled travel services in the event of the insolvency of package travel operators or professionals...

Contents

EU RESPONSE TO COVID-19
HEALTH: Ms von der Leyen will explain European strategy for vaccination against Covid-19 to European Parliament plenary session on 10 February
DEVELOPMENT: Covid-19, MEPs call on EU to do more to ensure poor countries’ access to vaccines
TRADE: EU still firmly opposed to lifting intellectual property rights on vaccines
COHESION:  Elisa Ferreira insists on importance of involving territories in European Recovery Plan
STATE AID: green light for €300 million of Austrian support for package travel organisers
DEAL EU/UK
UNITED KINGDOM: post-Brexit agreement with EU, European Parliament committees split between moderate satisfaction and real concerns 
UNITED KINGDOM: Committee on Constitutional Affairs wants European Parliament to be treated on equal footing with EU Council regarding post-Brexit agreement with EU
UNITED KINGDOM: EU ready to be flexible on rules of Northern Ireland Protocol, but without changing it
JUSTICE/HOME AFFAIRS: European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties has doubts about data transfers to UK
SECTORAL POLICIES
FOOD: paradigm shift needed for sustainable food and agriculture, experts told MEPs at hearing
AGRICULTURE: MEPs protest end of hygiene derogation for small slaughterhouses 
AGRICULTURE: CoR and MEPs working towards revitalising rural areas
AGRICULTURE: according to study, implementation of CAP for sustainable soil management can be improved
HEALTH: priorities of Portuguese Presidency of Council of EU largely influenced by Covid-19
CLIMATE/TRADE: MEPs agree on shape of carbon border adjustment mechanism
CLIMATE: Marie Toussaint welcomes French court’s decision to condemn State for climate inaction
ENERGY: despite a decline, share of fossil fuels in EU’s gross energy still stood at 71% in 2019, according to Eurostat
ENVIRONMENT: EEA underlines importance of adopting an approach from design stage for safe and sustainable products
HOME AFFAIRS: Frontex must become irreproachable very quickly, requests Portuguese Minister of Interior
JUSTICE: European Parliament should receive EU Council documents on appointments to European Public Prosecutor's Office next week
SOCIAL AFFAIRS
SOCIAL: Mrs Nahles proposes a European exchange programme for leaders of social partner organisations
INSTITUTIONAL
TRANSPARENCY: Transparency International puts new spotlight on transparency and accountability in European public life
SECURITY - DEFENCE
NATO: Jens Stoltenberg promises Alliance will prioritise climate change
EXTERNAL ACTION
AFGHANISTAN: EU announces further €32 million in humanitarian aid
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
TAXATION: European Parliament in favour of extensive exchange of tax information on revenues from digital platforms
FINANCE: EIOPA approves technical standards for Key Information Document for PRIIPs
COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EU
PUBLIC PROCUREMENT: national sports federation subject to control of a sufficiently influential public authority may be subject to EU law
NEWS BRIEFS
AGRICULTURE: European Commission approves two new geographical indications from France and Croatia
COHESION: European Commission consults on improving open data platform on ESI funds
COMPETITION: current rules are already helping to make our economy greener, according to Margrethe Vestager
DEFENCE: trio Presidency of EU Council discuss European policy
ENERGY: Energy Charter Treaty, German multinational RWE attacks Netherlands over coal phase-out
ECUADOR: European Parliament will not observe general elections
JUSTICE: MEPs give green light to agreements on ‘Justice’ and ‘Rights and Values’ programmes 2021–2027
KAZAKHSTAN: EU welcomes lifting of restrictions against human rights NGOs
MEDITERRANEAN: further preparatory discussions between Turkey and Greece could take place at end of February or early March
DIGITAL: Franco-German call for projects on artificial intelligence
RESEARCH: 43 training programmes supported to tune of €100 million, as part of Horizon 2020
SOCIAL: European trade unions rather disappointed by action plan to fight cancer